Worldwide, there are more than 5.8 million individuals with Down syndrome (DS). It is a complex multi-system, e.g. nervous, cardiovascular and digestive, disorder causing significant physical and psychological abnormalities throughout the lifespan of affected individuals. Nervous system dysfunction is the major cause of disability in individuals with DS. Co-morbidity between cognitive dysfunction and psychiatric conditions particularly, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, further complicates the clinical symptomatology presented by DS. Later in adulthood, all individuals with DS develop brain pathology indistinguishable from that of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As a result, drastic improvement in the life expectancy of people with DS has been associated with a significant increase in the rate of dementia of AD type in these individuals. For this reason, there is an emerging need for developing effective therapeutic strategies for cognitive disabilities in children before the occurrence of AD pathology in their adulthood. By both increasing cognitive function in children with DS, and delaying of AD brain pathology as these children reach adulthood, humans with DS will be capable of living longer, more productive lives.